I just realized that it’s been one year since I returned to training after my surgeries. Wow. Returning to strength training wasn’t a seamless sort of thing. No “Bam, it’s time to lift heavy again.” After four months without heavy lifting, it took weeks just to feel comfortable in the gym again. Then I had to regain enough flexibility and neuromuscular control to lift heavier – much longer than I thought, actually. Coming back was a slow process. My upper body changed fundamentally after having my bilateral prophylactic mastectomy with {Read More…}

Something that will put a pit in my stomach every time is watching a woman downplay her assets, sell herself short, or put her true desires under wraps in an effort to avoid subtle shaming about her goals, aspirations, or body. That’s why I talked about training-for-aesthetics shaming in a previous, passionate post. All this has me thinking about why owning it is a huge, non-negotiable part of getting fantastic results and staying motivated when it comes to strength training for women. In and of itself, I still maintain that training for aesthetics is a {Read More…}

Vanity rocks. I tweeted this a few months ago and knew it could be misinterpreted. But the response I got from a few women told me they understood. I love the word vanity. It’s filled with negative connotations, but I’ve taken ownership of it and changed its meaning. This word represents everything weight training has given me. And once you have healthy vanity, it changes your life forever. You can not go back. Vanity and weight lifting go together so {Read More…}

When I strained my back a couple of months ago, I figured I could still work out and just “take it easy.” You know – “back off.” This is actually called denial, because when you’re used to pushing it, it’s very difficult to do something with less intensity. The intensity is the fun part. My back is better, but it took much longer to heal while continuing weights. And while I’m not advocating continuing to exercise when you have an {Read More…}

If you’re injury free, how do you maintain this state of bliss? And if not, are you practicing these basic injury prevention principals? The first half of last year I had pain in my shoulder, knee, wrist, and elbow. I went to physical therapy and used wrist and elbow supports to help myself recover. Now that I’ve been injury free for awhile, I want to share what I’ve learned over the last year. Injuries prevent you from doing what you {Read More…}

Ever since my post about the hidden benefits of weightlifting, I have been intrigued by the barriers keeping people from lifting or getting the most out of lifting. I heard from people who echoed the following myths or said they’d heard them. Are you buying into any of these misconceptions? Myth: Runners should avoid weightlifting Many runners think bigger muscles will slow them down; however, weightlifting can actually improve your running performance and also help to prevent injuries. A strong upper body makes {Read More…}